Webcomics

So I thought a repository of the comics I like or dislike and why. This will be an ongoing post as I'm always discovering new things; however as i discover new ones they'll probably get their own post as appropriate.

Where appropriate I'll link to the first comic in the series that I find funny/worthwhile reading. This is important for some comics as some don't get going for a while (xkcd in particular). I've broken down the comics into rough categories, obviously many of them cross multiple categories so I won't obsess over which should be in which.

Geeky Comics
So since I've started with xkcd lets put that one first. Very sciency and geeky and a big fan of using the alt text in order to convey a further joke. If you have the slightest bit of geek in you, you should read this.
In a similar vein is Irregular Webcomic. This again uses geeky humour and science as regular plot points but goes into great depth with some explanations sometimes in more detail than you could imagine. there are a number of set themes that he uses and probably the best archive system of anything out there on the net.
And whilst we're in the geeky vein how could I not mention Nukees. One of the oldest comics on the web and certainly some of the weirdest humour/plots I have know. Still it's good fun.
Of course there is also GPF. Although it is beginning to show its age a bit...

Space Comics
Ones that have space travel as their main theme, it seems to be quite a common theme.
The utterly classic freefall. Still running after over a decade, still scientifically accurate and still yet to have anything resembling significant plot action occur. Ok that's a bit too harsh, but I nominate this webcomic for the award of "Slowest plot development ever".
Ever wanted a spoof of Battlestar galactica, star trek, star trek, heroes and goodness knows what else in one place? Well either way there's Legostar Galactica.
Finally there's outrim. Placed last for 2 reasons: First I've only just started reading it, and second because it strongly overlaps with the next category. Another comic that tries to get bits of it's science accurate and where it is inaccurate it is at least sufficiently implausible that it just might happen.

Animal Comics
A massive theme seems to be one a world of intelligent animals in place of humans.
The origin of this genre must be found close to Kevin and Kell. From which I am sure many others have taken a lead. There's also Sherman's Lagoon, Pearls Before Swine and Get Fuzzy that I recommend.

Story Comics
Most webcomics have a story, but these I class here as being story first and comic second.

This is the only place i can put Sam and Fuzzy. It's a weird comic, but it has its moment. The NDA enforcing robot being one of my favourites. What can I say? I liked it so much I bought the T-Shirt, not to mention the explicit cowbell...
Then there is afterlife blues created by the same people who did the epic Miracle of Science. Afterlife has yet to get going, but if MOS is anything to go by, we are in for a real treat.

Mad Scientist
Mad science seems to be a staple of webcomics, so here are a few of the main ones in my life:

Miracle of science I previously mentioned in the story section, but happily fits here.
The definition of this genre would be the excellent Casey and Andy. Unfortunately finished now, but the author has other projects so we can hope...
Of course considering all this mad science where would life be without some radioactive panda - smaller and infused with atomic energy. A cast complete with mad scientists, zombies, mad robots, werewolves and runaway genetic experiments.
For somewhere in between surreal and out of this world you can't go wrong with a bit of Bob the angry flower.

Gaming
Ever played D&D? Well, I love this concept; imagine a world where Tolken never existed and the story of lord of the rings came about only as part of a D&D adventure. After this the same people who did irregular webcomic went and did this superb parody of Star wars EP1.
now I have mixed feelings about Ctrl alt delete. At times it is very funny. At other times it is as far removed from humour as i can imagine. I won't dissect it, others have done so far better, especially the unstoppable Yahtzee. Suffice to say I think it's worth the read.
However one gaming comic I cannot find funny no matter how hard I try is penny arcade. I just don't get their references and even my flatmate going out of his way to point me at the best of the strips (in his opinion) didn't give me strips I found funny. Never mind, each to their own.

Unclassified
Not sure where these fit in the grand scheme of thing.
I always look to Wellington Grey for some insightful commentary on modern society.
Not sure how the tales of baby dragons fits into the grand scheme of high art, but dragontails is a joy to read to a gaming geek or fans of certain mangas.
Of course life from the perspective of a serial killer has its ups and downs. And for a usually subtle, often blatantly disturbing look on life, there's a softer world.
If slightly sick humour is your thing, have a look at Edible Dirt. In a similar vein is the Perry Bible Fellowship.
And finally in an example of how things should be done, Garfield how it should have been! Yep that's it, the best thing to happen to Garfield is to remove him from the strip.